May 10, 2023. Madrid to San Lorenzo del Escorial. Distance: 31 Elevation: 2,585 feet

It was a chilly morning so most of us took our time leaving Madrid as we waited for it to warm up a bit. We had a lovely ride today.

We were feeling a little eleven o’clockish so we wandered off course into the town of Bretta where we found a lovely little bar where we had coca cola, a cortado and a sandwich.

More storks.

We got to our hotel the San Lorenzo del Escorial around 2:30

Here’s the view from our window. If you look closely near the horizon towards the left you can see the tall buildings of Madrid where we started our ride this morning.

After we settled in we walked a couple of blocks to the San Lorenzo de el Escorial, the Capitol of the Inquisition. This is a massive palace.

Note the wall in the foreground in the picture above. This is what was on the other side of that wall.

Since photography was not allowed inside I invite you to watch this short video by Rick Steves, who was allowed to take some photos inside. https://classroom.ricksteves.com/videos/spain-s-el-escorial-capital-of-the-inquisition

After our 6pm Happy Hour where we learned about tomorrow’s ride Chris and I headed out to find some dinner. We found a place that was open and ordered the leek and duck salad. Here it is in all it’s glory. Quite pretty.

Tomorrow is a big day with lots of climbing.